Content providers offer media content and service providers offer communication services, to subscribers, subject to the terms of a pricing plan that is in effect at the start of a billing cycle (e.g., one month). For voice plans, for example, multi-tiered minute-based plans typically include a set range of “anytime minutes”—that a subscriber estimates will be used—at a fixed fee. When the set number of anytime minutes has been exhausted, a per-minute charge is assessed for the remainder of the billing cycle.
Subscribers who experience a substantial discrepancy between the estimated usage and the actual usage are typically not allowed the flexibility to change pricing plans once the billing cycle has begun. For subscribers whose phone usage is subject to unpredictable fluctuations, inflexible plans such as these offer the subscriber a choice between the risk of overpayment (under-use of anytime minutes, i.e., “leftover minutes”) or incurring costly per-minute charges for minutes in excess of the set number of anytime minutes.